Legislative Conference and Day on the Hill

Making Our Voices Heard

On June 13-14, 2017, TCIA members traveled to Washington, D.C. for our biennial Legislative Conference and Day on the Hill.

Tree care professionals from all over the country spent an afternoon in briefings preparing for the following day on the Hill. Members joined with a delegation of experienced Washington hands for visits with their representatives to discuss key industry issues. They visited with legislators and their staffers, and the staffers of policy committees and offered their perspective on tree care related issues.

Through grassroots efforts in the states and through direct action by
TCIA’s lobbyists, staff and members, your industry’s trade association
works to promote the interests of commercial and utility arboriculture.

We lobby for two primary reasons:

To protect and expand your markets

To reduce your cost of doing business

Why We Visit Washington

TCIA, through its membership, is organized as a trade association.
What does that mean specifically, and how is TCIA different from other
groups in the green industry? A trade association is an organization
founded and funded by businesses.

TCIA's mission is to "advance tree care businesses." One of the
primary ways to protect and advance the industry is through attempts to
influence public policy in a direction favorable to our members. TCIA
does this with contributions to the campaigns of political candidates
through the Voice for Trees political action committee, by supporting or
opposing particular legislation, and by working to influence the
activities of regulatory bodies such as OSHA and EPA.

There are almost 8,000 national trade associations in the United
States, but only one represents the interests of the tree care industry.

No one knows tree care better than the people who run businesses
every day, and TCIA – through its dedicated members – will continue to
educate Washington on the unique issues and challenges the industry
faces.

Please contact TCIA President David White at dwhite@tcia.org or by calling (603) 314-5380 if you would like learn more about how you can take a more active
role in your industry's government relations efforts.